writer

A little TMI and another GIVEAWAY!

Pre-order for the soundtrack to Maybe Someday is live and available here! If you’re here for the giveaway and are short on time, just skip to the bottom. But come back because this one deserves a read.

I think I’ve posted about Griffin Peterson enough for the majority of you to know who he is by now. For those of you who just joined my page in the last few minutes, let me catch you up by linking you to this post. We’ll give you a few minutes to read and catch up.

Okay, so now that we’re all aware that he’s a talented singer and the face on the cover of Losing Hope, let me explain how he also became associated with my newest project, Maybe Someday.

No one really knows the whole story. I originally came up with the idea for Maybe Someday before I even knew Griffin. I had yet to start writing the book when Griffin and I became acquainted through Losing Hope, and even then I had other plans for Maybe Someday.

I had been working with a good friend and musician during the early stages and we were really excited about the project. I began writing the book back in January of last year and even purchased rights to a couple of songs from other musicians to be used in Maybe Someday. Over the months that passed, I would occasionally talk to Griffin about the project. He was excited for me and excited for the idea of combining original music with a book, but at the time he wasn’t a part of the project.

Over the summer I ran into a few legal issues with the music I had planned to use that I didn’t expect. It was devastating for both me and the others involved in the project. I almost pulled the music from the project altogether. I felt I had no choice in the matter. The book was due to the publisher in a matter of weeks and since the lyrics and music were such a huge part of the book, I was devastated. It was no longer able to be the book I had envisioned.

Long story short, I was left with two options.

1) Publish the book without music.

2) Find someone who might possibly have songs I wasn’t legally tied to and that weren’t yet released on any platforms, or someone who could write all new songs.

Oh, and if I were lucky enough to find a musician who met option two, they would also have to be willing to do all of this in a matter of…no time at all.

I won’t lie here. I shed a lot of tears. I can’t tell you how hard it was to pretty much be finished with a project I had worked on for so many months, only to have it come to a screeching halt.

I sent Griffin a desperate message at two o’clock in the morning back in September, laying out the issues I was faced with and asking—no, begging—for his help.

Don’t get me wrong, I realize that any musician would have something to gain from their music being promoted in a book. However, what I was needing from a musician at that point was someone who would essentially allow me to request rewrites on songs they had written. Someone who could do this on extreme short notice. Someone who would have to put a lot of trust in me, because let’s face it, this kind of collaboration had the possibility of going wrong in a number of ways.

And…here’s the kicker.

Someone who would allow readers to listen to these songs for FREE.

Yeah. Good luck with that, Colleen.

After a painstakingly long day waiting on him to read the message, Griffin finally replied. I was scared to death to read his message because he was literally my last option before having to scrap the music portion of the book completely, which was the heart of the book.

I was so relieved when I read his message. Not only was he willing to help, but he was super excited about it. Within minutes, he sent me four songs that he had recently finished. Of course, I would have to listen to them and see how we would have to change the lyrics to fit the story. However, when I listed to the songs, it was like serendipity. The songs he had written were absolutely perfect for the story. With the addition of a few more of his lyrics and small changes here and there, I could have sworn these songs were written with these characters in mind.

At first I told him the four songs would be enough because I didn’t want to scare him off. However, as I would come to a new scene I would think about how much better it could be if there were a song there. After talking with Griffin, he agreed to write more. However, in order for him to do that, he needed to know the characters and the scenes he’d be writing for. So that’s exactly what he did as he finished the lyrics and music for the book. He became acquainted with Sydney and Ridge so that he could write the songs to fit the scenes.

The song Maybe Someday is probably my favorite, because after we discussed the feel I wanted and he sent me the first sample, I sat in my office in disbelief. He had so effortlessly created a song that captured the entire essence of the book.

What transpired over the next couple of weeks is something I won’t tell you about, because I honestly don’t remember it. It consisted of a lot of reading, a lot of rewriting and a lot of texts from me to Griffin that sounded like this:

Me: Griffin, help!

Griffin: Sure, what’s up?

And…

Me: Griffin, one more thing!

Griffin: No problem.

And…

Me: Griffin, I swear this is the last time I’ll text you today!

Griffin: It’s no big deal, really.

And…

Me: Mom, are you picking the boys up today?

Griffin: This is Griffin. Not your mom.

Me: Oh, my bad.

So yeah. I’m pretty sure I texted and facebooked and emailed him no less than twenty times a day over the next few weeks. Every time I needed something, he dropped whatever he was doing and made sure I had it, despite the fact that he had a job and a life. He never complained. He never acted put out. The only thing he did was repeatedly thank me for the opportunity.

And the best part is, it all worked out better than I could have imagined. I’d like to tell you about the times we argued over lyrics or the songs, but it never happened. Not even once. My name may be on the cover of this book, but Maybe Someday would not have happened had it not been for Griffin.

Thank you, Griffin. You helped me fall back in love with a project that I had so much faith in. You helped me bring it to life.

I have a point to this post. I swear I do.

When the book releases, the links and QR codes in the ebook and paperback will lead you to this website where the songs will be unlocked and you will be able to listen to them during your reading experience at no extra charge.

Griffin was gracious enough to help me at a time when I literally had no other options. He worked hard to produce quality songs to go along with this book, all at no extra charge to the reader beyond the price of the book. He did this because he believed in my idea and this project, and wanted to be a part of it, even though his music can be heard for free on release day. However, if you want to support him and preorder the soundtrack, you can do so here.

My hope is that everyone will love these songs half as much as I do and will want to experience them beyond the book. Griffin deserves a million more thanks than what I’ve been able to give him, if not for his music, then for his attitude and graciousness alone.

If you want to share this post, that would be fantastic. The support you guys have shown to him throughout the past year has been incredible and I want to thank each of you for that. Not only did you make my dreams come true, but now you’re doing it again with Griffin.

To be entered to win one of five copies of MAYBE SOMEDAY signed by both me and Griffin and five copies of the new paperback version of FINDING CINDERELLA, all you have to do is comment on this post. You aren’t required to share the link for the preorder or this post, but we would certainly appreciate it if you do.

Just one more time, Griffin, and I swear maybe someday I’ll stop thanking you. But THANK YOU! Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything. And congratulations on the preorder of your first full album, Maybe Someday.

And for my readers, all the songs now have short previews. It’s worth clicking the link below to go get a glimpse at what to expect from the full album.